School Teachers, Women, Men, Senior Citizens, Students and Families find karate training offers physical & mental fitness, and has great benefits for personal self-defense. Classes taught by a Hall-of-Fame Professor of Martial Arts at the Arizona Hombu Dojo, are entertaining, educational and pragmatic. Professor Hausel has been teaching self-defense for more than 4 decades and taught many students and faculty at 4 universities in the past.

Personal Self-Defense Training

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Self-Defense and Karate Kata

Two black belt instructors from Utah Shorin-Kai practice one of dozens of techniques from Meikyo kata during clinicat the Arizona Hombu Dojo in Mesa. This application shows near the end of the kata and is taught with a jumpingapplication. But it also works very well to keep your feet planted on the ground as an attacker attempts to grabs a legfor a take down. Imagine the force of the blow of a downward elbow strike on the top of the head or back of the neck.This is such a powerful technique that some martial artists use it in record setting cinder block breaking. Warning, donot use this on anyone - it is dangerous (photo courtesy of Nemec Photography).

Visualize an attacker moving fast and low to try to take you to the ground by gabbing and lifting your leg, or lifting you by your crotch or ankle. I periodically see people practicing these moves at the Lifetime Fitness in Gilbert, Arizona and it is likely a great move against someone not properly trained in self-defense.

From my martial arts education in karate and jujutsu in 50 years of training is that you should never grab anyone until you first apply atemi (attention getter - basically a knock out strike to the jaw). As you can imagine, if your opponent is seeing stars, it should be relatively easy to take them down. But another thing I have been taught in the many martial arts I've trained in - never go to the ground for any reason! By going to the ground, you leave yourself open to an attack by one of your opponent's friends, and you also have fewer options for self-defense whether you take a person down, or you are taken down.

So, as I watch these individual practicing take downs, a couple of bunkai (practical applications) I've taught in classes and clinics come to mind. One is in Meikyo kata and designed for situations like this. The technique is disguised in kata and begins with a 360-degree jump. Of course you should not jump while an attacker is trying to take you down, but using a downward elbow strike on the top of the head, neck, or spine would likely end a take down attempt (it could also end in very serious injury, so be very careful and do not use this unless you are prepared for the consequences).

There are two other bunkai from Rohai kata that are also designed to defend against a takedown. One is a hard punch directed downward, and the other is a double, open-hand technique also directed downward. Imagine a person trying to tackle you while you apply a hard punch to his spine while at the same time pushing his head to the ground with your other hand. Or imagine using the other bunkai - slapping your attacker on both ears while he rushes in for the take down. Game over.

Every kata taught in traditional Okinawan karate has many self-defense applications such as these that people should be practicing for self-defense. Imagine, training every day with kata that contain dozens of devastating self-defense applications. Your muscles learn to move properly, you build speed, power and balance. This is what kata and karate are all about - building proper muscle memory. Then, take individual pieces out of the kata and periodically practice them with a partner - soon you will soon be dangerous! This is karate!

Member of Halls-of-Fame in martial arts and geological sciences including 2001 National Rock Hound & Lapidary Hall of Fame, 2001 North American Black Belt Hall of Fame, 2004 International Martial Arts Black Belt Hall of Fame, 2004 American Karate Association Hall of Fame, 2004 United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame, 2000 World Karate Union Hall of Fame, 2000 Millennium Hall of Fame & others. Member of several dozen Who's Who Compendiums. Author of hundreds of articles, maps and books.

Appointed to World Soke Council Board in 2001; International Council of Masters & Grandmasters in 2005 & US Soke Council in 2007. Certified in 1999 as Sokeshodai by Zen Kokusai Soke Budo Bugei Renmei. Member of Juko Kai International.